Thrifty in the Big Apple: A West Harlem Editor Juggling Jazz on $55K

Twenty-something Ruby Pucillo, an assistant editor at Abrams and an improv jazz musician, earns about $55,000 a year and shares a rent-stabilized West Harlem apartment with two roommates, paying around $1,460 monthly. After rent, she tracks nearly every cent—groceries around $300, pre-tax transit $140, cushion for surprises, and a $500 monthly entertainment budget—to save for a future NYC ownership goal. She leans on deals, clothing swaps, and frugal habits, and she plans to stay in New York despite the city’s high cost.